


The Reading Pod

by ManthaMac



Category: Actor RPF, British Actor RPF, Tom Hiddleston - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-28
Updated: 2014-06-28
Packaged: 2018-02-06 15:30:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1863000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ManthaMac/pseuds/ManthaMac
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A sudden downpour of rain darkens the sky but brightens Meg's life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Reading Pod

The sky had been clear just a few minutes ago but now it was almost black as night and the rain was thrashing down on the few folks still out. Meg looked down from her new apartment and saw a tall man in running gear, his t-shirt had been rendered almost transparent by the rain,

"Oh the poor sod!" She muttered and without another thought she was racing down the stairs to call him indoors.

"Hey! Come inside for a bit, wait for the worst to pass." She called to him, he looked up then, sweeping his hair out of his eyes and the water from his face, Meg smiled to show she was friendly and he sprinted the short distance. Closing the front door and gesturing up the stairs, Meg took the opportunity to have a closer look at her temporary guest; he was tall, much taller than she had realized and he clearly ran a lot as there wasn't an inch of him that didn't appear to be toned.

"Have a seat while I get you a towel" she said and scuttled through to the linen closet, when she returned he was still standing however and looking rather sheepish about the puddle of water already forming beneath his feet.

"I'm sure I said you could sit down" she said, a puzzled look on her face.

"I would make your sofa wet." the man said; his voice seemed a little shaky and Meg realized that he was shivering.

"You're frozen!" she exclaimed handed the towel to him and rushed off again, returning a few moments later with a large fluffy dressing gown,

"Here, you can wear this and I'll get your gear dried, bathroom's through there"

"No, I'll be fine, I wouldn't want to impose on you." he said rubbing vigorously at his hair which Meg suddenly found incredibly distracting as his hair was a mass of blonde poodle curls.

Gathering her thoughts quickly, Meg insisted it was no imposition and gently pushed him towards the bathroom, "There's another bigger towel in there, make sure you really dry off, I don't want you catching a cold." she added as she opened the door for him.

Turning away and heading across the hallway to her new utility room, she heard the bathroom door shut followed by the muffled noise of soggy clothes hitting the floor; a short while later came the sound of the bathroom door opening and Meg was greeted by the sight of her guest holding a folded bundle of wet clothes.

"You folded them?" she blurted out before her brain could catch up with good manners eliciting a small chuckle from him that caused her knees to buckle.

"That storm came up so fast didn't it?" Meg said, mentally shaking herself and taking the pile of clothes from him.

"Oh WOW! Didn't it though! One minute sunny, next minute soaked to the skin, standard British summer weather I suppose but I don't think I've ever seen it turn that fast!" the man responded "My name's Tom by the way." he added and held out his hand.

"Meg" she replied taking his hand, checking his body temperature and receiving what felt like a bolt of electricity; removing her hand, she looked up into his face and saw that he had felt it too.

"A pleasure to meet you Meg." said Tom, Meg smiled and suggested he head back out to her living room while she put his clothes in the dryer and got the kettle on.

"Tea or coffee?" she asked as he exited the room, "Do you have Earl Grey tea? that would be great but standard tea would be good too." He responded with a smile.

"Earl Grey it is Tom, no problem at all. Go on through, I'll bring it out in a mo."

"You know there is still a puddle out here." Tom called from the living room, "Oh drat!" muttered Meg and grabbed the window vac 'This should clear that up quickly.' she thought and headed out to deal with it. Tom was sitting on the sofa but jumped up when Meg walked in, "Sit down! This will only take a second." she said and speedily used the little vac to remove the water, Tom was only just resuming his seated position when Meg was again leaving the room, "Be right back with your tea!" She called back.

Standing in the kitchen waiting for the kettle to boil, Meg considered Tom, more particularly she found herself considering his body, from what she had been able to see, the man was incredibly fit and it wasn't long before she was in full daydream mode. The click of the kettle brought her out of her reverie and she hurriedly made tea and then as an afterthought grabbed a plate of biscuits, dumped it all on a tray and carried it through.

Tom had abandoned his place on the sofa and was browsing through her bookshelves, "None of the classics?" He asked, a note of disappointment entering his voice as Meg put the tray down.

"All of them actually, but not on those shelves, I keep them in my pod."

"Your pod?" He questioned, Meg gave a little laugh and pointed to a strange little zone in the wall behind the sofa. She pressed a button and the green coloured panel of wall started to rise like an automatic garage door. Tom stepped closer and peered in, "That looks very comfortable."

"It most certainly is and is the main reason I bought this place, a hidey-hole to curl up and read, where time and everything can be forgotten." Meg answered, "your tea, Tom." she added.

Tom turned, a smile on his face, and sat again on the sofa "You like to read then?" He asked

"There is nothing better, especially on a day like today, I can curl up in the pod, close the shutter and escape to who knows where, but I bet the weather will be better!"

"You close yourself in there?"

"Oh yes, the light comes on automatically and a sensor turns it off again if there is no movement for 30 minutes."

"Why?" Tom asked, clearly puzzled.

"Well that usually means I've fallen asleep and I don't like sleeping with a light on, it's a waste of electricity." Tom laughed at that, making Meg jump and almost spilling her tea.

"Would you allow me to try it out when I finish my tea?"

"Of course, with the shutter down, it is the warmest spot in this place." Meg smiled, the pod really was the reason she had bought the apartment but all her friends had hated it.

Tea finished, Tom headed back to the pod and climbed in, "Controls are just there." Meg pointed them out and set about clearing up the tea tray. A quiet whirring noise behind her, told her the shutter was going down.

"This is AMAZING!" Tom's voice was muffled but still clear and the enthusiasm was very evident. Meg chuckled and headed out to the kitchen.

Meg filled the sink with hot water and started to wash up the mugs, the memory of touching Tom's hand and the electricity that had passed between them playing back through her mind; she hadn't expected that at all and she wasn't sure how she felt about it, or indeed how he had felt about it. Meg left the mugs to drain and headed back out to see if Tom had resurfaced from the pod; he hadn't so she went to check on his clothes. After ten minutes she once again walked into the living room. Tom was still ensconced within the pod so Meg pressed the button to raise the shutter.

Inside the pod, Tom was fast asleep, curled up on his side, his head resting on one arm while the other arm was spread over a book; 'The Complete Works of Shakespeare' Meg noted as she reached in to gently shake him awake.

"No mum, get off!" He mumbled

Meg smiled and shook him again, "Tom, your clothes are dry." she added quietly, hoping the sound of her voice was nothing like his mum's. Tom grumbled again but Meg could see he was resurfacing, "Tom?" One more grunt and then his eyes opened, then they REALLY opened.

"Oh my GOD! I am SO sorry!" he was instantly apologizing; fully awake now and struggling to sit up among all the cushions in the pod.

"Hahaha, its fine Tom, now you see why the light switches itself off, it is way too comfortable in there."

"No I really am sorry." He looked like a little lost puppy at that moment but Meg just laughed again and reiterated that it was not a problem.

"Your clothes are dry now, I've left them in the bathroom for you." she said and turned away so he could get out of the pod but before she had moved away his hand was on her arm, pulling her back towards the pod and him, the spark of electricity before was nothing in comparison to the energy now surging through her veins. He continued to pull her towards him, now both hands were involved and she was being lifted, before she knew what had happened he had taken hold of her ankles and swung her completely inside the pod and hit the button to close the shutter.

"You have Shakespeare" he stated in a slightly husky voice right next to her ear

"Yes I do" she replied, her voice had become somewhat breathy and her heart was racing, she was sure it was actually visible.

"I like Shakespeare" he added as his hand slid up to cup the back of her head so he could turn her face towards him.

"Mmhmm" was all Meg could manage; he smiled, making his eyes crinkle, then he leaned forward and kissed her.


End file.
